Manual had the King, but Richwoods Knights ruled day in 13-turnover game at Peoria Stadium

PEORIA — Manual bright spot Nas King and coach Dennis Bailey struggled to come to grips with a game Manual thought it should win Friday against Richwoods.

The Rams saw a game in which a combined nine fumbles and a scoreless first half turned into a 21-0 loss to the Knights at Peoria Stadium.

Richwoods offensive lineman Zion Franklin recovered teammate running back Tyson Dougherty's fumble on a plunge from the 1, falling on the ball in the end zone to give the Knights a 7-0 lead and the only points they needed with 8:56 left in the third quarter.

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Add in a combined four interceptions in a mistake-filled game from both sidelines.

Through it all, King never left the field, lining up at defensive end and linebacker on defense — where he shines — and at right guard on the offensive line.

"And I kick off," he reminded. "I don't ever want to come out of a game. It's really disappointing right now how this turned out. We thought this could be a win for us. We were pumped for it and we made too many mistakes for it to happen."

The turnover fest ended Manual's three-game win streak in the series, which started with a 2-0 forfeit victory because of COVID in 2020.

"I'd never lost a game to those guys," said King, a 5-foot-11, 251-pound senior. "Tonight was the first time I was in a game they beat us. That hits so hard. We have so many friends and rivals on that team. We all know each other."

Right on cue, as King sat on a bench next to the new artificial turf at Peoria Stadium, Richwoods players walked across the field to greet him and embrace him.

Emerion King walked over. Then Jahliyl Booker, and Colin Clark and True Wallace, all offering hands and hugs.

"I grew up playing with so many of those guys," King said. "But I ended up over here and I'm proud of my team. Richwoods is a special game for me, it holds a lot of personal meaning."

Growing up with the Knights

Nas King played football from flag to full pads in the JFL with the Richwoods program, "my whole life over there," as he described it.

His older brother, T'Nahleg Hall, who finished a three-year, 27-game career at St. Ambrose last season, once starred for Richwoods.

When it came time for King to play high school football, he found himself in the Manual school district. He has played his entire prep career for the Rams and wears their colors with great pride. And he's fiercely proud of the victories his Rams have notched over his brother's former team.

"Nas plays with a chip on his shoulder," Bailey said. "And I think part of that comes from his brother playing at Richwoods and knowing so many of those players over there. He's a competitive guy."

King also has a younger brother, Namolos Thompson, an all-Big 12 Conference junior running back who was Manual's starter the first two weeks before an ankle injury shelved him. He says he's planning his return next week.

"It's cool playing with my brother," King said. "We need him out there, too. He loves the game, and I like to see him run."

King also loved watching "Bam Bam" Kam Chancellor with the Seahawks, and after he retired, now watches Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

"Chancellor led the Legion of Boom," King said. "I loved watching him hit guys. He played with such intensity and brought out the boom stick. Parsons I like because he's so fast, athletic, plays with so much fire.

"Those guys are what I want to be."

Fit for a King

King shut down Richwoods in the second quarter, recovering a fumble to stop one possession and coming in off the edge to stuff running back Jeremiah Oliva to derail another.

The Rams fumbled away the opening kickoff of the second half, and King saved a touchdown on the first play that followed when he chased down Knights running back TJ Smith from 15 yards behind.

Later in that drive, Richwoods quarterback Joell Sturdivant tried a keep, and King blasted in to stuff him at the 1.

The Knights took a 7-0 lead on the next play when Franklin recovered his teammate's fumble in the end zone.

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King's work included six tackles, two for a loss, and a fumble recovery. He has 52 tackles and 15 tackles for loss, with two sacks, through seven games.

"I just want to play with heart and intensity," King said. "I approach it as, each play could be my last, at any time I could get hurt and never play football again.

"So no plays off. I line up at defensive end, linebacker, all over the offensive line and handle kick offs. Two years ago I led the team in tackles, and I want to do that again in my final season."

Fumbles, frustration and college visits

Manual fumbled five times — including twice on kickoffs in the second half — and tossed three interceptions. It was too much to overcome, even when Richwoods kept it close with four fumbles and one INT.

Richwoods took a 14-0 lead with 3:11 left in the third quarter when Sturdivant tossed a TD pass to Mason Hawkins on fourth-and-goal from the 23. The Knights closed it out with a 15-yard TD run by Jeremiah Oliva for a 21-0 lead with 8:44 left in the fourth quarter.

The Rams had 40 total yards in the first half while Richwoods scratched out 148.

In the end, Richwoods (2-5, 1-5) got 10 carries and 81 yards rushing from Amarii Scurlock and 12 carries for 60 yards and a TD from Oliva. Sturdivant was 8 of 20 passing for 127 yards, a TD and an INT.

Manual (0-7, 0-6) got nine carries for 33 yards and two fumbles from Elisha Gilbert, while quarterback Amaree Breedlove was harassed into minus-25 yards on six carries — an array of bad snaps for lost yardage and pressure from Richwoods.

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Late in the game, Breedlove moved to receiver and senior London Tolliver moved from running back to quarterback, running eight times for 41 yards. He threw a pick that wasn't his fault, the pass glancing off a receiver's hands for a jump ball.

King, meanwhile, has big numbers off the football field, too. He carries a 4.2 grade-point average and his SAT, according to his coaches, is the highest in the school.

"I want to go to college, for real estate or maybe business finance," King said. "I'd love to keep playing football. I have been invited for football campus visits by Robert Morris University, Central Missouri State University, Illinois Wesleyan, Concordia (Wis.), Benedictine, Knox and Cornell."

Bailey, meanwhile, stood on the sideline afterward, talking about his Rams team and King.

"I am proud of what he's done the last four years here," said Bailey, pulling his hoodie over his head as tears rolled down his face in an emotional moment. "It is emotional for me, yes, about King and the way he shows up for every play, does the work. He's such a good kid.

"And it's emotional about this team. You can't get on these kids after a game like this. Just can't. I care about them so much.

"We thought this was going to be our day."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Richwoods blanks Manual in turnover-filled football game at Peoria Stadium